Shoaib Akhtar reveals the only batsman he loved to injure

New Delhi, July 28: Former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar was known for instilling fear in the minds of opposition batsmen with his lethal pace.

The Rawalpindi Express, known as one of the fastest bowlers ever played, had rattled the stumps of several batsmen when he was at his peak.

The aggressive right-arm pacer indulged into several duels with opposition batters for as long as he played. There are numerous accounts of the speedster's spats with batters.

The cricketer-turned-commentator had retired hurt several batters with his express pace all through his career. But if he's to be believed then the cricketer never liked injuring the batsmen, except one.

Akhtar enjoyed injuring former Australian opener Matthew Hayden.

"It was Matthew Hayden I wanted to hit badly during my playing days & I did that many times during test & practice games & now we r best mates. But now we are best of friends now & I think he's 1 of the most generous & kind human being I ever met is Matthew Hayden," Akhtar tweeted.

But now we are best of friends now & I think he's 1 of the most generous & kind human being I ever met is Matthew Hayden.

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) July 25, 2017

Akhtar now enjoys friendship with several other India cricketers and his friendly banter with Virender Sehwag on social media are irresistible.

Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni rated the Pakistani fast bowler as the toughest he has faced in his long and illustrious career so far.

The 2011 World Cup-winning skipper was quoted as saying by www.cricket.com.au that it was Akhtar's pace and the ability to bowl a yorker which troubled him, adding that he had problems facing the quickies with his limited technique.

"All the fast bowlers are quite difficult, with the limited technique I had, it was very difficult to face the fast bowlers," the stumper said.

"Still, if I had to pick one, I would pick Shoaib Akhtar." "Very simple reason: he was quick, he was fast, he could bowl a yorker, he could bowl a bouncer but you never expected a beamer. He was a bit unpredictable (but) he was fun to play against," Dhoni added.

OneIndia News